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I didn’t expect to wake up to the sight of Evan sitting by my bedside.
For a moment, I thought last night had been a bad dream. I just stared at him blankly, unable to process it all.
When Evan saw me awake, his face lit up with relief. He grabbed my hand tightly and asked, “Baby, how are you feeling? Are you okay?”
I slid my hand out of his grasp, frowning as I looked at him. “Baby? Or… the old hag?”
His face turned pale as if all the blood had drained from it. His eyes reddened, and to my shock, he slapped himself hard across the cheek. “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice trembling. “I swear, it was the anesthesia talking. I wasn’t in my right mind.”
He looked at me, his expression full of regret and desperation. “I… I don’t even know how I could’ve done something so stupid. When I fully
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“I was terrified you’d leave me. That’s why, even though the doctor told me I wasn’t ready to be discharged, I left anyway.”
As he spoke, he struggled to stand, lifting his shirt to show me the bandages from his appendectomy. Blood was beginning to seep through the
gauze.
I remembered how he had stayed by my side all night, even in his condition, and my heart softened just a little.
Looking at the hurt and guilt in his eyes, I thought to myself–maybe this was real.
Maybe… he wasn’t completely beyond saving. Maybe he had just been momentarily infatuated with a younger, prettier woman. But that infatuation couldn’t compare to the love he had for me.
If he could cut off those feelings completely, maybe we could go back to the way we were.
But the memory of him kissing Sofia in front of everyone played on a loop in my mind, reopening the wounds. My tears began to fall before I could stop them.
Evan’s eyes turned red, filled with guilt. Panicked, he started wiping my tears, rambling apologies. “I’m so sorry, Hannah. I never wanted to
hurt you like this.
“But please, believe me–there’s no one else for me but you. I don’t even know why I said what I did under the anesthesia.
“I’ve already fired Sofia. No matter what, her behavior last night proved she had inappropriate intentions toward me.
“A woman like that–someone who’d knowingly try to wreck a marriage–I would never be interested in her!”
He paused, then added earnestly, “You know how much I hate cheaters. After what happened with my parents, do you really think I’d ever do something like that?”
I looked into his eyes and thought back to his past.
His mother had taken her own life after his father’s affair drove her into a breakdown. Evan had always despised infidelity, going so far as to refuse to work with people he deemed morally corrupt./
And honestly, if there were someone else in his heart, how could he have treated me so well all these years?
With that thought, I decided to give him another chance.
Evan pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly. His tears fell onto my neck, warm and wet, and I could feel him trembling.
I knew Evan wasn’t someone who cried easily. If he was crying now, it meant he truly loved me. It meant he was genuinely afraid of losing me.
I whispered, “Evan, don’t lie to me. If you ever betray me again, you’ll lose me for good.”
His body stiffened slightly, but a moment later, he leaned back and looked at me with determination. “Hannah, I swear–your Evan will never betray you. Ever.”
And just like that, we made up.
In the weeks that followed, Evan treated me better than ever before.
He started driving me to and from work every day, never missing a single pick–up or drop–off. He brought me a different bouquet of flowers every morning, gave me nightly massages, and curled up on the couch with me to binge cheesy rom–coms, no matter how much he hated them.
At work, my coworkers teased me endlessly, saying I had my husband wrapped around my finger. Some even asked me for tips on “husband training.”
But unlike before, when I used to speak of our relationship with pride and confidence, I could only muster a faint, hollow smile.
The events of that night had left a knot in my heart–one I couldn’t untangle, no matter how hard I tried.
A month later, I found out I was pregnant.
When I told Evan he was over the moon. He picked me up and spun me around in circles laughing like a child.
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Watching him beam with joy, I felt a sense of relief. I was glad I hadn’t let one mistake ruin what we had.
I thought to myself, He’ll be a great dad.
That hope shattered the day I walked into the OB–GY
and
saw him with Sofia.
He was sitting next to her, his hand gently resting on her belly, his face
g with tender excitement.
I froze in the doorway, my heart pounding as I watched him lean closer to her and smile. “Everything’s going to be fine,” he said softly. “I can’t wait to meet our baby.”
Sofia, her face flushed with happiness, looked at him and asked, “Do
you think
You’ll love
our baby more than Hannah’s?”
Without even looking up, Evan replied, “Of course I will. This is my first
son.
“Besides, you’re young and beautiful. There’s no way her baby could compare
to
ours.
